Why is Call of Duty: Ghosts 720p on Xbox One and 1080p on PlayStation 4?

Infinity Ward's executive producer Mark Rubin briefly explained last week why there was a disparity in the resolution of Call of Duty: Ghosts on Xbox One (runs at 720p) and PlayStation 4 (runs at 1080p).

In an interview with IGN today, Rubin talked more about the difference.

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“You know, it’s easy to be comparative when you’re looking at both systems," said Rubin. "When you see one out of context from the other I don’t think it’s a big concern. We did our best to make the best looking game on each console, and making sure we nailed down 60 frames per second. That was a key pillar for us."

He went on to explain that there's no agenda or definite reason for the difference. “There’s no maliciousness, there’s no specific reason why one’s 720p, one’s 1080p," he said. "That’s just the way the optimisation came out to. To keep a smooth frame rate we needed to be 720p on Xbox One. That being said, it is being upscaled to 1080p, so it is outputting 1080p on your TV, and for the most part the game does look really good. Some people actually think the textures look a little bit nicer maybe on Xbox than they do on PS4.

"You’ll hear a bunch of opinions back and forth, but that’s all they really are. They’re opinions.”

I asked if Xbox One would achieve 1080p with the next instalment in the series. "Very possibly. We put new technology into this game before we even had the consoles. So we had no idea how well that technology was going to work on the consoles. Now that we are finally getting the consoles we can start optimising those features better. So I imagine... for an example, if you look at Call of Duty 2 over Call of Duty 4, which was our next game, it’s a significant improvement.

“The analogy I’ve used in several interviews is… the first game on a console is sort of like a first date. It’s very awkward as you try to learn what each other’s interests are. That’s how making a new game on a console is.”

The reason Rubin gives for the difference in resolution, then, is unfamiliar architecture and the optimisation process to maintain that 60 frames per second experience.

Ultimately, is it a big deal or not? Does it really matter? Rubin wouldn't be drawn, but he would admit, "The internet seems to think it's a big deal."

Daniel is IGN's UK Games Editor. You can be part of the world's most embarrassing cult by following him on IGN and Twitter.